A lot less Messy
by Taw2541
Summary: Oliver goes to talk to Laurel after having second thoughts about moving in with her. Basically, what Oliver should have done instead of cheating on her.


The Lance Family House, Night

The limo pulled up to the Lance family's house and Oliver got out of the car, he told the driver to be on standby just in case. Walking up to the door, Oliver prayed to god that Laurel's dad, Quentin, wasn't here tonight as he threatened to tase him once he caught him and Laurel naked and in bed together; depending on how bad things might go after tonight he might actually shoot him. Oliver took a moment for a second before pressing the doorbell, just this afternoon Laurel had talked him into moving in with her. It made sense, he and Laurel had been together a long time now, 2 years in fact and he had never been in a relationship with anyone that long. He should want to move in with her but he didn't, it wasn't because he didn't love her, he did; he just ... he just wasn't ready for that just yet. He rung the doorbell and he then heard footsteps and saw that it was Laurel that opened the door.

"Ollie. Hey." She said joyfully and gave him a brief kiss. "What brings you by tonight?"

"Well, uh, first is your dad here?" He asked nervously.

"No, but my mom is, in case you wanted to us be "alone"." She teased.

"Surprisingly no, you got a minute?" He asked after a slight chuckle.

"Sure." She said and shut the door to walk outside. "So what's up?"

Oliver paused for a moment before saying it out flatly. "I can't do it, Laurel."

"Can't do what Ollie?" She asked.

"Move in with you?" He answered.

"What! Why not?" She said a little angry.

"I just ... I don't think we're ready for that yet." He replied.

"Well, I am." She stated. "But you're not are you?"

"No." He said after a brief pause. "But Laurel I still love you, I still want to be with you. Nothing else has to change."

"Two years, Oliver. Two years." She told him. "That's how long we've been together."

"I know Laurel, I know." He said defensively.

"Do you! I mean what ... what did you expect, that we just keep doing what we're doing and have nothing change; to not at least try to build a life together." She said emotionally.

"Laurel. I want to take the next step with you someday, but ... but just not now okay." He explained.

"Then when Oliver? A year from now? Two? Ten?" She pressed.

"I don't know." He stated, slightly shaking his head.

Laurel just stood there for a moment, her face was agitated and her eyes were starting to tear up. "Well I know I can't do this with you anymore."

"Laurel come on." He pleaded worried what she would say next.

"No, Ollie, I've wasted enough time on you! And, I'm not going to just stand around waiting for you to want to have a commitment with me." She said loudly before calming down. "We're ... we're done."

"Laurel." He said but she just walked back into her house and shut the door, hard. Oliver took a moment to gather himself, he knew this might happen, he hoped it wouldn't but it did. Eventually, he got back into the limo and the driver drove him away from his now ex-girlfriend's house. Meanwhile, Laurel sat on the floor, her back against the door and she began to cry.

* * *

3 months later, Coffee Shop, Starling City

Laurel was in her favorite coffee shop in Starling since Sara came by visiting from college the Lance sisters had a big night out; Laurel thought that Sara was trying to cheer her up since her and Oliver's breakup. Of course, Sara's idea of cheering Laurel was going out clubbing with her and trying to have her hook up with some random hottie. Laurel wasn't ready for that yet, she wished she could say that same about Oliver though. As after their breakup, it seemed like he was hitting the partying life harder than usual; his way of coping she thought. She and Sara were waiting in line for their coffee and breakfast or lunch, technically.

"How much longer is this gonna take? I'm starving." Sara exclaimed.

"Hey, it'll be worth it. Best coffee in Starling remember." Laurel reminded her. "Course, you might not be so hungry if you didn't fill up on booze last night."

"Thanks for the reminder, Dad." Sara jabbed, causing Laurel to chuckle.

"Seriously, though. Thanks for last night, it was fun." Laurel said gratefully to her.

"You're welcome, it could have been a lot more fun if you bothered to go with one of those three guys who were interested in you back to their place." Sara insisted.

"You could have gone too with the guy interested in you or the girl." Laurel teased.

"Me and a girl, I can't imagine that happening." Sara acknowledged.

"Laurel." A familiar voice said and the sisters turned around to see it was Oliver.

"Oliver," Laurel said in an awkward manner.

"Order for Lance!" The Barista announced.

"Um, I'll get our food. It's nice seeing you, Ollie." Sara said leaving giving the two a moment together.

"You too, Sara." He said with an awkward smile.

"So," Laurel said flatly.

"So," Oliver replied in the same manner. "I guess us running in together was bound to happen, especially to get the best coffee in Starling." He said in a boyish manner that made her smile and then laugh. The two then got a seat somewhere next to the window, feeling the sun on their faces.

"You look good." He stated.

"So do you." She replied. A moment of awkward silence then feels between the two before Laurel eventually spoke again. "So listen, I'm sorry Ollie." She said.

"Laurel you don't have to apologize." He insisted.

"I do ... actually." She admitted. "The night we ended things ... that I ended things. I was pretty upset and I said some things that I took a little to far, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too. I just when I thought about moving in with you I thought, okay first we're living together, then we're engaged, then we're married and having a kid and I just ... it freaked me out." He admitted in a slightly erratic manner.

"Well when I thought about doing those things with you, I got excited. As something I looked forward to doing with you someday." She admitted with a sad smile. "But for the record Ollie, I wouldn't have made you do any of those things. I mean I wanted you to want them but only when you were ready to have them."

"Can I ask you how could you be patient for that but break things off for us not getting an apartment together?" He asked pointing it out.

"I don't know, maybe I should have been more patient and for the record; I'm sorry I wasn't. I just thought if you weren't ready to move in with me now after everything we've been through right now, then ... then you might never be." She explained.

"And you didn't want to waste time on a guy who may or may not ever give you that." He said in understanding.

"Yeah. Speaking of wasting time, that's the thing I want to apologize to you the most about. I don't ... I don't see us as a waste of time. I loved you, I still do. And I don't regret loving you." She said heartfully.

"Thanks for that. And I want you to know I ... that turning you down was probably the hardest thing I ever had to do." He said regretfully and she gently touched his hand.

Eventually, Sara came over to their table with coffee and food, taking a seat. "So do I need to call the cops on you two?" She said sarcastically.

"No, we're good," Laurel stated taking a bite of her bagel.

"So Oliver how you been, aside from the nightclubbing," Sara asked.

"Alright, I guess. Actually I'm planning on going on a boat trip with my dad." Oliver told the sisters.

"Oh, where too?" Laurel asked.

"Somewhere in China, I wasn't really paying attention." He answered.

"Oh, I'd love to go to China," Sara said enthusiastically.

"Really?" He asked.

"Backpacking through Asia is on her bucket list," Laurel explained to him.

"Well, would you like to come?" He asked and little did the three of them know it, that innocent little suggestion would change their lives and the lives of their families forever.

* * *

**Author's Notes: So this what I imagined might have happened if Oliver simply told Laurel he didn't want to move in with her instead of cheating on her. I've seen comments on stories about Laurel getting ahead of herself or even be delusional in regards to her relationship with Oliver back then and on some level she was. But in Laurel's defense, she was a 22-year-old girl in love and she and Oliver were together for a long time so moving in together after 2 years was not an illogical step. If he wasn't ready to move in with her now then he might never be, which attributed to the sudden breakup. In fairness to Laurel's breakup with Oliver, I wrote her as being a little emotional; which she can be sometimes. But most breakups can be fairly emotional and messy, so it fits, but I also know that eventually, that would have gotten comfortable with each other to be friends again.**

**Also this is my first story of 2020.**


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